During the Age of Enlightenment, there was a fascination with the new science of botany. This was apparent in cultural life in general, hence the lifelike depiction of the plants on the service.
Flora Danica is decorated and gold-plated by hand with handles and lids also hand-moulded. It is a dinner service fit for kings and queens, a point proved when it was commissioned by Denmark's King Christian VII in the 18th century as a gift for Catherine the Great of Russia. The Empress died before the dinner service was complete, which was a blessing in disguise, because then it remained in Denmark. Today, the original service can be studied in the basement of Rosenborg Castle in Copenhagen.
Inspiration and decoration
Imagine being allowed to eat lasagne off such a plate! Flora Danica got a new image in 1863, when the least appetising flower motifs were omitted. The dinner service has been in production ever since - at prices ranging from DKK 2,100 to DKK 182,900, Flora Danica is the Rolls-Royce of dinner services. Incredibly, it is still in demand more than 200 years after it was designed, with sales running into millions worldwide.
The Flora Danica dinner service is proof that good workmanship and rich decoration are not mutually exclusive. There is an interest in both today with the revival of decoration and patterns and people's taste for mixing antiques, flea market bargains and designer items to express a more personal lifestyle.
Natural talent
Nature was the direct source of inspiration of the detailed patterns of Flora Danica. In Spain, nature was an inexhaustible source of inspiration for architect and designer Antoni Gaudí (1852-1926), among others. Gaudí modelled his spectacular buildings and mosaics on the soft and colourful shapes of nature. If you have ever visited Guell Park in Barcelona, where the park furniture is incorporated in the landscape, you will understand why.
In 1930s Denmark, textile designer Marie Gudme Leth was deeply inspired by the Flora Danica dinner service, and recently clothes designer Anette Meyer has created dresses with Flora Danica motifs.
Charlotte Jul is design writer and editor at KUNSTUFF, a Danish handicraft and design magazine.
Plate from Flora Danica, Lycoperdon Saccatum, 1790-1803, 24,8 cm. The Royal Silverchamber, Christiansborg Castle